Shoe display form



Feb. 19, 1963 J. R. M GlNNlTY SHOE DISPLAY FORM Filed Nov. 14. 1960 James fizz/mi? I, Q E- v INV ENTOR.

United States Patent 3,077,621 Sit-10E DESPLAY FORM James R. McGinnity, Danvers, Mass, assignor to Mrs. Days Ideal Baby Shoe Company, lino, Danvers, Mass, in corporation of Massachusetts Filed Nov. 14, 196i Ser. No. 68,797 2 Claims. (Q1. 12-128) This invention relates to shoe forms for keeping shoes, the uppers of which are not self-supporting, in shape when not being worn, as for example, for display purposes.

Objects of the present invention are to provide a shoe form of the character described which can be conveniently stored and quickly formed, which is readily and easily inserted or removed from a shoe, which when disposed within the shoe is strong and flexible to provide an eifective support for the upper, which is extremely simple to manufacture and economical in material, and which when disposed within the shoe in no way detracts from the overall appearance thereof.

In one aspect the invention involves a shoe form for supporting the upper of a shoe adjacent the toe and heel comprising an elongate member having toe and heel sections and an intermediate section of a length substantially equal to the interior length of the sole, the toe section being foldable upwardly and rearwardly over the sole section at an oblique angle and the heel section being foldable upwardly normal to the sole section. The elongate member may be of flexible sheet material.

In a more specific aspect the toe section has extending wings which are bendable inwardly, after the toe section is folded, to form a toe box and the heel section has laterally extending wings which are bendable inwardly, after the heel section is folded, to form a counter. The heel section may have laterally extending supporting tabs adjacent its outer end which are bendable inwardly, after the heel section is folded, to form an ankle strap support.

For the purposes of illustration, a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the shoe form before it has been folded;

FIG. 2 is a similar view of a modified shoe form;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the shoe form of FIG. 1 after it has been folded; and

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section along the lines 4-4 of PEG. 3 showing the shoe form disposed within a shoe which is represented in dot and dash lines.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. l, the shoe form comprises an elongate member 1, preferably of flexible sheet material as, for example, relatively still but flexible paper, having a toe section 2, heel section 3, and an intermediate shoe sole-engaging section 4 interconnected with the toe and heel section at reduced hinge portions 5 and 6. Preferably the upper surface S of the elongate member 1 is glazed to enhance its appearance.

The intermediate sole-engaging section 4 is here shown, by way of example, as conforming in shape substantially to the outline and of a length substantially equal to the interior length of the shoe sole in connection with which it is to be used.

The outer edges 7 and h of the toe section 2 curve outwardly and forwardly from the hinge portion 5 to form laterally extending wings 9 and 1t and the outer edge 11 at the end of the toe section is preferably concave in outline. The toe section is foldable at the hinge portion 5 upwardly and rearwardly over the sole-engaging section at an oblique angle, and the wings 9 and it? are bendable rearwardly and downwardly in an arc until the laterally 3,977,621 Patented Feb. 19, 1963 ice thereof are adjacent the outer side the sole-engaging section 4 at the box l t, as best outer edges 7 and 8 edges 12 and 13 of forepart thereof, thereby to form a toe shown in FIG. 3.

The heel section 3 is also provided with wings 14 and 15 which extend laterally beyond the line of the outer side edges 12 and 13 of the sole-engaging section 4, the side edges 16 and 17 of said wings being formed intermediate their ends with substantially V- haped notches 18 and 19, and adjacent the outer edge 22 at the end of the heel section with laterally extending tabs 2% and 21.

The heel section is foldable at the hinge portion 6 upwardly substantially normal to the sole-engaging section 4 and the wings 14 and 15 are bendable inwardly in an arc until the inner edges 23 and 24 of said wings are adjacent the outer inner edges 12 and 13 of the soleengaging section 4 at the heel thereof, thereby to form a counter 25, as best shown in FIG. 3.

In use, after the shoe form above described has been formed as shown in FIG. 3, it is inserted toe section first into the shoe so as to be disposed within the shoe as best shown in FIG. 4. In such position the toe box 14 of the toe section engages and provides a support for the interior of the toe portion of the shoe upper to keep it in shape, the counter 25 engages and provides a support for the interior of the heel portion of the upper to retain it in shape and the tabs 29 and 21 engage and provide a support for the interior of the ankle strap 25 of the upper. Further, the length of the toe section along its longitudinal center line is slightly less than the interior length of the toe portion of the upper of the shoe, the length of the heel section along its longitudinal center line is slightly less than the height of the heel portion of the upper of the shoe, and the notches l8 and 19 are provided so that when the shoe form is disposed within the shoe, no portion of the shoe form projects in an unsightly manner beyond the top limits of the shoe upper.

In the embodiment of the shoe form shown in FIG. 2 and in which like portions have been given like reference numerals, the notches 18 and 19 have been omitted from the edges 16 and 17 of heel section 3, the length of said heel section along its longitudinal center line is slightly less than that of the heel section of H6. 1, and the outer edge 22 is slightly concave in outline, thereby to make the shoe form of FIG. 2 more suitable for a shoe in which an ankle strap has been omitted and the heel portion of the upper is of less height.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device for interposition within a shoe having a soft bottom and upper which requires support to hold it in shape when not on the foot, comprising a wholly flat single-ply, integrally formed structure having a flat bottom part corresponding in peripheral contour, length and width to the area of the bottom of the shoe within which it is to be disposed so as to be substantially coextensive with the bottom and to provide a stiffening support therefor, a flat heel-end part having oppositely extending wing portions symmetri al with respect to the longitudinal median of the bottom part integrally connected at one edge to the heel end of the bottom part and adapted to be folded upwardly at right angles to the bottom part and to have its unattached wing portions bent symmetrically with respect to the back line of the heel to dispose the wings in contiguous relation to the inside of the counter with their lower edges substantially abutting the bottom part circumferentially of the heel, so as to support the heel-end part upright within the heel end of the shoe,

and a flat forepart part having oppositely extending Wing portions symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal median line of the bottom part, integrally connected at one edge to the toe end of the bottom part and adapted to be folded upwardly and rearwardly from the toe to dispose a surface thereof at an anglecorresponding to the inclination of the inside of the upper at the toe, and to bring the unattached edges into abutting engagementwith the bottom .part peripherally of the toe, to support the inclined surface of the forepart part against the inside of the forepart, said heel-end and forepart parts, when disposed Within the shoe, providing supporting surfaces which are substantially coextensive with the inner surface portions of the shoe supported thereby.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS McCutcheon Dec. 5, 1950 Dewitt ,Sept. 30, 1930 Spencer May 21, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS France June 3, 1957 

1. A DEVICE FOR INTERPOSITION WITHIN A SHOE HAVING A SOFT BOTTOM AND UPPER WHICH REQUIRES SUPPORT TO HOLD IT IN SHAPE WHEN NOT ON THE FOOT, COMPRISING A WHOLLY FLAT SINGLE-PLY, INTEGRALLY FORMED STRUCTURE HAVING A FLAT BOTTOM PART CORRESPONDING IN PERIPHERAL CONTOUR, LENGTH AND WIDTH TO THE AREA OF THE BOTTOM OF THE SHOE WITHIN WHICH IT IS TO BE DISPOSED SO AS TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH THE BOTTOM AND TO PROVIDE A STIFFENING SUPPORT THEREFOR, A FLAT HEEL-END PART HAVING OPPOSITELY EXTENDING WING PORTIONS SYMMETRICAL WITH RESPECT TO THE LONGITUDINAL MEDIAN OF THE BOTTOM PART INTEGRALLY CONNECTED AT ONE EDGE TO THE HEEL END OF THE BOTTOM PART AND ADAPTED TO BE FOLDED UPWARDLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE BOTTOM PART AND TO HAVE ITS UNATTACHED WING PORTIONS BENT SYMMETRICALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE BACK LINE OF THE HEEL TO DISPOSE THE WINGS IN CONTIGUOUS RELATION TO THE INSIDE OF THE COUNTER WITH THEIR LOWER EDGES SUBSTANTIALLY ABUTTING THE BOTTOM PART CIRCUMFERENTIALLY OF THE HEEL, SO AS TO SUPPORT THE HEEL-END PART UPRIGHT WITHIN THE HEEL END OF THE SHOE, AND A FLAT FOREPART PART HAVING OPPOSITELY EXTENDING WING PORTIONS SYMMETRICAL WITH RESPECT TO THE LONGITUDINAL MEDIAN LINE OF THE BOTTOM PART, INTEGRALLY CONNECTED AT ONE EDGE TO THE TOE END OF THE BOTTOM PART AND ADAPTED TO BE FOLDED UPWARDLY AND REARWARDLY FROM THE TOE TO DISPOSE A SURFACE THEREOF AT AN ANGLE CORRESPONDING TO THE INCLINATION OF THE INSIDE OF THE UPPER AT THE TOE, AND TO BRING THE UNATTACHED EDGES INTO ABUTTING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BOTTOM PART PERIPHERALLY OF THE TOE, TO SUPPORT THE INCLINED SURFACE OF THE FOREPART PART AGAINST THE INSIDE OF THE FOREPART, SAID HEEL-END AND FOREPART PARTS, WHEN DISPOSED WITHIN THE SHOE, PROVIDING SUPPORTING SURFACES WHICH ARE SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH THE INNER SURFACE PORTIONS OF THE SHOE SUPPORTED THEREBY. 